2010 National Advocacy Day

To all New York Librarians, Library Trustees, Library Workers and Library Friends

There is still time to register for National Library Advocacy Day. At this point we have about 60 people registered.

For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11:00am, will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs.

Here is the link to register for this important national event.

The Washington Office is still finalizing the legislative agenda. In the meantime, issues that will be included are:

LSTA - thank legislators for this important grant program and let them how important it is to us
ESEA - President Obama's replacement of the No Child Left Behind program - we will be pushing to include a State Certified Librarian in each school
E-Rate - letting legislator know how important this program is for libraries and asking them to look at streamlining the application process
Open Internet (Net Neutrality) - the importance of an open Internet

A list of other legislation the Washington Office is watching can be found here.

You can access the ALA Legislative Scorecard, which provides the voting record for all legislators on Bills that address issues important to libraries, at the links below (these links will provide access to PDF files):
House Of Representatives
Senate